Franklin of Philadelphia by Esmond Wright is an enlightening book. The author gives the reader a good look into the life of Franklin.

The book is most delightful in and of itself of one of the best loved of the Founding Fathers. We delve into the mind of Franklin and we see him as a printer, author, businessman, philospher, and of course a crafty politician. He was a reluctant revolutionary, but Franklin was more, as we read in the book.

A man many thought as brilliant for his time, Franklin was devious and a man of charm. We see the multi-faceted Franklin in his true light. A man who loved attention and knew how to obtain it.

Franklin lived for 84 years through one of the most turbulent times in American History. He genious transcended to inventions to worldly wisdom... all caught poignantly in the book. I enjoyed reading this book because Franklin has been always one of most original of the Founding Fathers. As Thomas Jeferson said upon following Franklin in France... He could not replace Dr. Franklin, he was only his successor.

This book is well documented and comprehensive with good prose and flowing narative.

This book was enjoyable... I recommend it

This is a compilation of letters, diary entries, and accounts from various participants and witnesses, to the principle events, on the battlefield anyway, of the American Revolutionary War. Editor Wright interposes commentary linking the various quotes, and is generally judicious and even-handed. The quotes are mostly a paragraph or two, and occasionally just a sentence, and they are sorted by year. The edition of this book I got was from the Folio Society, a British book club that does premium editions of books, and they include color illustrations that often don't accompany other editions. Given that, this is a worthwhile addition to any library on the American Revolution, though serious historians would find it a bit superficial, I think.